Yono and the Celestial Elephants

About Yono and the Celestial Elephants

Yono and the Celestial Elephants is a single player casual role playing game with fantasy and kids themes. It was developed by Plug In Digital and was released on October 12, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Yono and the Celestial Elephant is a grand adventure, featuring carefully designed puzzles, treasure hunts, a sprinkling combat and a world full of people. Play as a young elephant tasked to save a world he’s never seen before, and explore the rich history of a kingdom where humans, zombies and robots live side by side.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

Yono and the Celestial Elephants screenshot

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Reviews

80%Audience ScoreBased on 229 reviews

story21 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

Adorable and charming art style with cute and colorful visuals that enhance the relaxing atmosphere.
Engaging puzzle-solving mechanics that are accessible and enjoyable, suitable for younger audiences and adults seeking a lighthearted experience.
Thought-provoking and surprisingly deep storytelling covering themes such as coexistence, philosophy, and politics, adding emotional depth beyond typical puzzle games.

Controls are clunky and awkward, especially on keyboard, causing difficulty in precise movement, combat, and puzzle interaction.
Several bugs and glitches including soft locks in puzzles, issues with collision and hitboxes, and problematic save/load behaviors that can hinder progression.
Combat is simplistic, repetitive, and unrefined, often serving as an unnecessary distraction from the puzzle and exploration focus.

story
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20% positive mentions, 76% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The story of the game is charming and thoughtful, centered around Yono, a celestial elephant on a quest to maintain balance, blending simple yet occasionally deep themes like death, free will, and empathy. While some find the narrative engaging and meaningful, others criticize it for being sparse, abrupt, overly reliant on fetch quests, and sometimes jarring in tone or pacing, with limited character development and a lack of clear progression. Overall, it offers a cute and colorful adventure with enjoyable lore, suitable for players who appreciate light storytelling woven into puzzle exploration.
- “Inspired heavily by classic top-down adventure titles, particularly games like The Legend of Zelda, the game blends exploration, environmental puzzles, light combat, and a heartfelt story set in a colorful fantasy world.”
- “The story revolves around Yono, a celestial elephant who appears once every thousand years to help maintain balance in the world.”
- “Rather than presenting a simple battle between good and evil, the story encourages players to consider the complexity of these conflicts and the importance of empathy and cooperation.”
- “The plot could have ended the second you leave the queen's castle, yet continues for no other reason than that it can, leading to everything thereafter feeling incredibly contrived by my measure.”
- “After all of this, I should have expected it to more 'stop' than 'end', with none of the plot threads concluding in any fashion. The queen has the fastest change of heart in anything I've ever experienced, the companion characters seemingly age several decades in minutes while the queen looks the same, and the entire thing basically equates to 'ignore every bit of dialogue you just heard, because this is the end of the game.'”
- “Its slow, there isn't much game, not much of a story, no voice acting, fetch quests on the side...”
gameplay
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17% positive mentions, 74% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions
The gameplay of Yono and the Celestial Elephants is primarily a simple, Sokoban-style block-pushing puzzle adventure with straightforward combat and exploration mechanics. While accessible and charming, especially for younger players, it is repetitive, lightly challenging, and sometimes marred by bugs and control issues, leading to a mixed reception where its creativity and atmosphere often outshine its mechanical depth. Overall, it offers a relaxed, whimsical experience but may feel tedious or lacking in challenge for those seeking more complexity.
- “This charming premise gives the game both its identity and many of its gameplay mechanics, resulting in a whimsical yet surprisingly thoughtful adventure.”
- “These mechanics serve as the foundation for many of the game’s puzzles, which require players to observe their surroundings and figure out how to interact with the environment using Yono’s abilities.”
- “Each dungeon introduces new mechanics and challenges, gradually increasing the complexity of the puzzles as players progress.”
- “Most of it is simplistic enough but the writing (politics, death, philosophy), some mechanics and 'design decisions' and all the bugs beg to differ.”
- “Yono clearly looks well-polished in appearance and sound, which drew me in to give it a try, but the gameplay itself is pretty tedious and also extremely glitchy, while whatever plot exists is quite weird and not really interesting.”
- “The gameplay revolves entirely around block-pushing puzzles, so if you like those, then great, but otherwise it's a chore.”
graphics
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28% positive mentions, 66% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a bright, colorful, and charming art style that is cute and appealing, perfectly matching its whimsical and cozy tone. While not technically complex or highly detailed, the visuals are clear, playful, and accessible, especially suited for younger players, though some find them somewhat simplistic or janky. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the game's atmosphere and narrative, enhancing its puzzle experience with a warm, inviting aesthetic.
- “Visually, the game embraces a bright and colorful art style that complements its whimsical premise.”
- “Although the graphical presentation is not technically complex, its charm and clarity fit the tone of the game perfectly.”
- “Yono is a fun puzzle game with a (subjectively) gorgeous aesthetic, nice tunes and a very cozy atmosphere.”
- “Though it never loses its jankiness in graphics and controls, which can be mildly frustrating, it more than makes up for it in world building and in some legitimately thought-provoking concepts.”
- “- visuals are clean, but I feel it doesn't distinguish itself much from other games.”
- “- music, graphics, dialogue - it's all very mid-tier quality; nothing to write home about, but nothing bad either, just hopelessly middle of the road.”
music
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36% positive mentions, 56% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The music is widely praised for its cheerful, catchy, and well-suited soundtrack that enhances the game's relaxed, adventurous, and emotional atmosphere without overwhelming players. While some users find certain audio elements or menu music annoying and note occasional repetitiveness, the overall consensus highlights the music as a charming and integral part of the game's adorable and immersive experience. Several players also express a desire to purchase the soundtrack.
- “The music supports the emotional tone of each location without becoming overwhelming, allowing players to focus on puzzle solving and exploration while still feeling immersed in the world.”
- “The music is glorious and perfectly suited to each biome in the game.”
- “With a wonderful soundtrack, I would certainly recommend this game for a relaxing adventure.”
- “Nice graphics and music and some really annoying audio (including the menu music), as one would expect from a cutesy game.”
- “The music was okay, but started to get repetitive.”
- “The few things I would say negatively would be that some of the sound effects are fairly low-quality, which probably is only more noticeable because the music is so much better in contrast.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding in the game is generally seen as tedious and repetitive, with heavy farming required for certain items and backtracking that can feel monotonous. However, some appreciate the minimal grinding due to a convenient hub transport system and find the game short and relaxing despite occasional dull gameplay moments. Overall, the grind aspect may detract from enjoyment for those seeking more dynamic or engaging gameplay.
- “The prices of skins are way too high, necessitating heavy farming if you want them all.”
- “Avoid the tedious fetch quests in town; NPC dialogues often feel out of place and disrupt the game's tone.”
- “The gameplay becomes tedious after a while, with repetitive elements and lack of engaging content.”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game delivers a heartfelt and emotionally resonant experience through its charming, colorful world and thoughtful storytelling, complemented by supportive music and accessible gameplay. While its puzzles tend to be simple, the game’s warmth, humor, and deeper philosophical themes create a wholesome, uplifting journey that can evoke genuine emotional responses, including tears.
- “Its accessible gameplay, colorful world, and imaginative design make it appealing to players of many ages, while its deeper themes add emotional depth to the journey.”
- “Yono has a surprisingly large amount to say about its world philosophies, which I was not expecting, and as a result, it definitely had that auteur feeling, of touching some art that was created by someone with an intention.”
- “It's cute, funny and heartwarming; if you want to cheer up, then this is the perfect game for you.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game suffers from frequent bugs and glitches, including issues with letter pickups and awkward camera angles, which can disrupt gameplay. However, serious glitches are relatively rare and many can be resolved easily, making the game mostly stable for players tolerant of minor technical issues.
- “Buggy as hell elephant-based isometric puzzle-adventure.”
- “Glitches galore and there's way more below.”
- “Awkward control, with glitches they ruin the game.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game's humor is charming, lighthearted, and often heartwarming, effectively balancing both funny and philosophical moments. It features cute, amusing characters and boss fights that appeal to gamers of all ages, making it a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
- “Many of these side moments are delivered with humor and charm, reinforcing the game’s lighthearted tone even when addressing more serious themes.”
- “It's cute, funny and heartwarming, if you want to cheer up then this is the perfect game for you.”
- “It's a relaxing, cute game with colorful characters and a style of humor that gamers of all ages can enjoy.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 57% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy, relaxed, and charming vibe, enhanced by a gorgeous aesthetic and soothing soundtrack. Each location introduces unique elements that keep the experience fresh without adding stress, maintaining a gentle and inviting mood throughout. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's enjoyable and laid-back feel.
- “The soundtrack also contributes to the relaxed and adventurous atmosphere.”
- “Yono is a fun puzzle game with a gorgeous aesthetic, nice tunes, and a very cozy atmosphere.”
- “Regarding the game's atmosphere, everything in the game is adorable, which aligns with the story where nothing particularly dire ever happens.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions
The character designs are charming and expressive, featuring endearing protagonists and creative elements like "nice" zombies and mythical elephants. However, the game struggles with a lack of meaningful character development and progression, which somewhat hinders the overall narrative experience.
- “Character designs are simple but expressive, and Yono himself is an especially endearing protagonist.”
- “The character designs overall are pretty cute.”
- “The Playmobil character design is charming, the 'nice' zombies are a cute turn, and the idea of elephants as mythical creatures is fun.”
- “It suffers a bit from a seemingly random story, a lack of character development, and a complete lack of any sort of progression, but the core puzzling experience is largely enjoyable.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 75% negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, with little incentive to revisit once completed, aside from occasional exploration or collecting missed items. The puzzles and combat lack depth, reducing the game's long-term engagement, though its length and price provide reasonable value. Some glitches can also detract from the experience.
- “Not much replayability after beating the game, but still fun to come back to every now and again.”
- “Unless you wanted to go back and collect all the health tokens or explore buildings you might have ignored, I wouldn't say the game has a ton of replayability.”
- “Puzzles generally aren't challenging and the combat is very one-note, somewhat short, with not much replay value; the odd glitch can be very annoying.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, resulting in frequent stuttering and noticeable input delay that negatively impact the gameplay experience.
- “Poorly optimized - it stutters a lot, and it feels like there is some input delay.”

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Critic Reviews

68%Critics’ scoreBased on 8 critic reviews

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Play Times

11h Median play time

11h Average play time

11-11h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yono and the Celestial Elephants is a casual role playing game with fantasy and kids themes. Common tags for Yono and the Celestial Elephants include indie, trading, family friendly and cute.

Yono and the Celestial Elephants is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 11 hours playing Yono and the Celestial Elephants.

Yono and the Celestial Elephants was released on October 12, 2017.

Yono and the Celestial Elephants was developed by Plug In Digital.

Yono and the Celestial Elephants has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Yono and the Celestial Elephants for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Yono and the Celestial Elephants is a single player game.

Similar games include Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, Figment, Scrap Garden, Hob, The Plucky Squire and others.

Yono and the Celestial Elephants

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Reviews

story

gameplay

graphics

music

grinding

emotional

stability

humor

atmosphere

character development

replayability

optimization

Critic Reviews